Political positions
This page summarises the politcal views and beliefs of Jacob Rees-Mogg. Positioning As a self-described traditional conservative Jacob holds many libertarian views regarding freedom of speech, personal responsibility, and limited state intervention. However many of his stances such as those on abortion and same-sex marriage are informed by his religious teaching making him very much socially conservative. Some media outlets have described Jacob as populistJacob Rees-Mogg, pinstriped populist - Bagehot - The Economist, elitist, reactionary and sitting firmly on the far right of the Conservative party. Other groups have branded him a fascist, misogynist and homophobe in relation to his social views.Rees-Mogg called 'fascist, misogynist' during protester fracas Jacob is a loyal supporter of the monarchy describing it as the "greatest institution in our land" and that it is part of what makes us British.Jacob Rees-Mogg celebrates the monarchy as the greatest institution in our land During a parliamentary debate Jacob has defended the Crown Estate and tax-payer funding of the Royal family as being an essential part of the constitution. Ending his speech Jacob finished by saying "Mr. Speaker, God Save the Queen."YouTube Jacob Rees Mogg on the Royal Family Political Ideologies Conservatism A member of the Conservative Party since age 13 Jacob supports the key principle of Conservatism; financial responsibility, individual liberty, and limited government intervention. As a party, Jacob feels they have the best policies for governing the country and recognises that individuals make better decisions for themselves than the state does. Therefore, individuals should be left as free as possible to get on with making their own lives.Jacob Rees-Mogg Destroying Socialism Although Jacob believes Conservatism offers people greater opportunities in life he does acknowledge its ability to appear harsh, often requiring the cutting back of the State and taking things away from people. In one sentence he writes that "Tories appear competent but not cuddly."Freedom for the Many or Power for the Few? In another discussion, Jacob outlined why Conservatism is more moral than Socialism. In general, he thinks that Conservatives understands human nature as it is, not as it might have been hoped for in the Garden of Eden. In a socialist system where everything is controlled by the government, free-will is taken away leaving people unable to make a moral choice for themselves, deciding right from wrong. Socialism In his own words, Jacob says that "Socialism leads to North Korea and it always does, wherever in the world Socialism is tried it always has to lead to more controls." "If you tell people that their owns labours will not benefit them then they will cease to labour, then you have to stand over them with a whip do make them do things." Economics Free Markets As a strong supporter of free-market economics, Jacob believes that the opening of markets; particularly those of India and China have led to better standards of living for billions of people. Taxation In line with one of the main principles of Conservatism, Jacob is in favour of low taxation so that people keep as much of their own money as they can. "The idea that bashing rich people makes poor people richer is simply wrong. I think if the country as a whole gets richer then everyone is then better off. That should be the aim of the government, to make everybody better off, to ensure poor people have more opportunities, more ability to make themselves richer. But the government can’t do it by robbing Peter to pay Paul."17Jun11 Conservative MP for NE Somerset Jacob Rees-Mogg Debt Fiscally conservative Jacob believes that the government must live within its means and that borrowing is just taxation delayed. "money has to come from somewhere at some point. Individual are rational and know that these debts will have to be repaid and that the theory of Ricardian equivalence is partly true." Brexit During the referendum campaign Jacob played a prominent role in the leave faction, participating in multiple debates and making numerous media appearances to get across his message. As a staunch eurosceptic Jacob has been a heavy critic of the EU for many years and since joining parliament in 2010 has repeatedly lambasted the union, often engaging in it floccinaucinihilipilification of its undemocratic nature.https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm111024/debtext/111024-0003.htm On 26 July 2010 he joined the European Scrutiny Committee and further reiterated his position at the Oxford Union in 2013 when he described the EU as "a threat to democracy." On February 2016 when David Cameron announced a referendum Jacob rebelled against the government alongside 128 fellow Tory MPs to back the Vote Leave campaign. Upon announcement of the referendum results Jacob called it as an excellent day and suggested the catholic hymn Sava feste dies toto venerabilis aevo (a hymn about resurrection) as an appropriate theme for Brexit. After Cameron resigned in disgrace after loosing, Jacob moved to support Boris Johnson as the new vote leave pro-Brexit prime minister. After Borris declined the position Jacob went on to support Michael Gove (voted leave), then Andrea Leadsom (voted leave), before accepting Theresa May (voted remain) as prime minister. Originally Jacob was against the appointment of May because of her support for remain and saw her has a continuation of the existing establishment. After her maiden speech Jacob chose to rally behind May, however remains critical of her handling of Brexit. Common Fisheries Customs union Free Movement Irish border As the U.K's only land border the issue of a physical border across the island of Ireland poses a threat to the ongoing peace process in Northern Ireland and may undermine the Good Friday Agreement. Jacob has stated firmly that no border will be created on the island of Ireland as it will not be government policy. He suggested that if the European Union wanted a border that would be a matter for the Irish government. In terms of customs with a tariff barrier, Jacob supports the use of technology and customs declarations via quarterly returns such as those used for VAT payment. This would eliminate the need for a physical border and make it a matter of collecting taxes. Ideally Jacob has said that the U.K wouldn't want any tariffs as trade is the real opportunity and the government shouldn't be looking to collect huge taxes. Enviroment Climate Change Jacob has expressed skepticism of man-made climate change and has speculated that any changes may be related to natural causes and not necessarily human activity. He suggested that because future climate predictions can't be proven through a controlled experiment they cant be used confidently. Speaking about the Climate Change Act of 2008 he said he was prepared from restrictions on carbon emissions to be lifted. Energy In a meeting with Transition Keynsham, Jacob discussed various topic relating to energy. In terms of energy policy Jacob has said that it is important that British industry is not adversely affected by the UK having stricter regulations than other countries. He went on to say that "future development of energy production in this country should be controlled by market forces alone and that Government should not intervene."Jacob Rees MoggMP Jacob Rees-Mogg – Climate Change Skeptic Jacob has stated that he "would much rather his constituents have cheaper energy than windmills." And that as mentioned in a IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report any action taken now would have no effect for hundreds if not thousands of years. Instead he thinks that ameliorating the consequences by doing such things as dredging rivers and reclaiming land is a more sensible.Jacob Rees-Mogg on Downton Abbey, the Ukraine crisis, and taking famous women to a desert island Jacob has said he approved of the government's Green Deal scheme which aims to make houses more energy efficient by offering a temporary loan which is paid by through the tenant's savings. Jacob is in favour of nuclear energy and has stated that there is plenty of oil left, enough energy for 300 years. Fracking In a letter to Transition Keynsham Mogg stated his general support for fracking. He said "In my opinion hydraulic fracturing is a promising method of gas extraction because it is relatively cheap and has led to a large fall in energy costs in the United States. Nonetheless, there are some risks which need careful evaluation to see if they are tolerable. As I understand it the seismic movements are similar to those caused by coal mining. In our area the main concern is if fracking were to affect the hot water springs in Bath but subject to this I am cautiously in favour."Jacob Rees-Mogg supports fracking Foreign relations Russia "Vladimir Putin will not quietly give up, he needs to be shown that the United Kingdom will not be cowed." After the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in 2018 Jacob described Russia as a "global menace" and stressed the importance of a strong response. As well as the expulsions of Russian diplomats Jacob asked suggested the following action to also be taken.Russia *Increased British military presence in Baltic State and Poland *Freezing of suspected Russia oligarchs *Sanctions applied to associates of Vladimir Putin *Boost defense against cyber-attacks United States Since the election of President Trump in 2016 Jacob has reiterated the importance of getting along with of closest ally and maintaining the "Special Relationship". Social issues Abortion As a devout Catholic Jacob has stated that; in line with the Catholic Church, he is completely opposed to abortion in all circumstances including rape and incest. Explaining his stance he said that "Life is sacrosanct and begins at the point of conception ... it is morally indefensible." In term of rape he stated that "a great wrong has been created at the point of rape. The question is – does a second wrong make it any better?"Jacob Rees-Mogg says that women who seek abortion after rape are committing a “second wrong” After appearing on Good Morning Britain where he was asked about his views on the subject Mogg was publicly ridiculed and branded a religious bigot and misogynist.Jacob Rees-Mogg isn’t old-fashioned, he’s a thoroughly modern bigot He was accused by media outlets of having double standards because of voting for military action is Syria and supporting cuts to public services. Further to this his view was said to be "harmful" and "threaten women’s health and freedom."Stop joking about Jacob Rees-Mogg – his views on abortion and rape are hurtful and harmful Conversely Mogg received some support, particularly from religious communities for sticking to his Christian convictions. The Catholic Herald details support from various bishops and a priest praising Mogg for his "careful reasoning which put the interviewers’ groupthink to shame." However some Catholics criticized him for implying opposition to abortion was purely a matter of faith rather than a reasonable view outside religion.Catholics debate: what Rees-Mogg got right and wrong Eugenics Jacob is against the genetic modification of babies believing that it passed over a line which society has been reluctant to cross and is a risky thing to do. "It isn't a cure for a disease, it is the creation of a different person."Jacob Rees Mogg on genetically modified babies Death penalty Influenced by his traditional Catholic views Jacob is against capital punishment and believes that the state should not take life without due process.It’s been another good week for Rees-Mogg Food banks Jacob has stated that he find the availability of food banks "rather uplifting" as it shows what a compassionate country the U.K is to have charitable support from follow citizens. He also said that helping people less fortunate than themselves is what being human is all about and that banks provide active, direct, personalised support for people who are in a crisis or cant make ends meat.Jacob Rees-Mogg: Food banks 'rather uplifting Asked why the use of food banks has increased under the Conservative government Jacob replied that it was because of greater awareness of their existence through the Jobcentre. He blamed the previous Labour government for failing to tell people about them. Later a study by Channel 4 found that although referrals to food banks do happen they make up only a small percentage and that government’s welfare policy was the main cause for food bank usage.No evidence for Jacob Rees-Mogg’s food bank claims References